Abortion deal as Dems try to reach 218

Democratic leaders trying to preserve a high-stakes Saturday vote on a House health reform bill battled a swift current of rank-and-file defections Friday as the White House swung into action to help corral the final votes.

Democratic officials said their count of hard “nos” was in the range of about 25. While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can afford to lose up to 40 votes and still win passage, there are dozens of other lawmakers who remain on the fence publicly.

Abortion opponents won a huge last-minute concession late Friday night when leaders agreed to give Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak a vote on his amendment effectively barring insurers that participate in the exchange from providing abortions, except in the case of rape, incest or when the mother's health is in danger.

The concession was expected to free up the votes Democrats need to approve the bill, even though reproductive rights groups were expected to vehemently oppose it.

In the end, the Conference of Catholic Bishops couldn't support the compromise put forth by Indiana Rep. Brad Ellsworth to create an independent monitor to make sure that insurance companies didn't spent public funds to pay for abortion, and a number of wavering Democrats wouldn't sign on to the plan unless the church endorsed it.

“It’s a question of how you can keep everybody together and that’s the challenge before us,” Waxman said of the proposal earlier in the day. “What’s being called the Ellsworth language is also the bishop’s language which is the Stupak proposal. It’s basically to stop any services for abortion coverage in both the public plan and all private insurance. Not just for those who get subsidies but for everybody who goes to private insurance policies.”

“I would like the bishops, who I understand want to see passage of the legislation, to help us work out a way so we don’t have winners and losers,” Waxman said. “Because the losers will make us lose the bill and the winners then wont have won anything.”

Democratic officials said their count of hard “nos” was in the range of about 25. While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi can afford to lose up to 40 votes and still win passage, there are dozens of other lawmakers who remain on the fence publicly.

In the last-minute frenzy, the landscape seemed to change from hour to hour. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer kicked off the day by suggesting the final vote may drift until Sunday afternoon – or even Monday or Tuesday – if they need more time to find the votes they need.

“There are still many people who are looking to get a comfort level that this is the right thing to do,” Hoyer said earlier on Friday. “We’re talking to members, trying to answer any concerns they might have.”

But Hoyer closed by saying, “My understanding is that we will complete this tomorrow night.” And Pelosi also told reporters that she planned to go ahead with Saturday’s vote on a sweeping $1.2 trillion bill that seeks to expand health coverage to 36 million Americans.

Emanuel peppered his former House colleagues with phone calls, according to a number of lawmakers with whom he spoke. The list included at least one liberal lawmaker who was upset that leaders abandoned plans to tie a government insurance option to Medicare.

Cabinet secretaries, like Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis – another former House member – are expected stick around on Capitol Hill Saturday after Obama himself pays a morning visit to House Democrats in the Cannon House Office Building.

But few administration officials roamed the halls Friday, a contrast to the some of the vote-wrangling done in person by the Bush administration on key votes.